Travel Tips

Travel Tip: Just How Clean Are Airplanes?

Us Airways planeJust how clean are airplanes? A new survey asked passengers to rate the cleanliness of major American air carriers.

This recent survey asked flyers to rank cleanliness on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being spotless.

The clear winner was JetBlue, with a ranking of about 8.5.

The worst? US Airways, with a 6.84.

Though JetBlue and second-place Southwest have newer planes, with Delta’s aging fleet in third place, it’s hard to chalk it all up to age.

In fact, a new cleaning regime at Delta — which means jets are deep-cleaned every 30 days instead of 18 months — may be responsible for the carrier’s ranking.

And planes may be getting cleaner, now that another study has found that passengers perceive food, seats and even the promptness of the flight to be better if the plane’s interior is clean.

For more information, visit the Airlines & Airports Archives.

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